WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF INC 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Contents President's Report 04 Jamie Shine 05 FY2019 Committee 06 FY2020 Committee 07 Advisors & Ambassadors 08 Awards & Appointments Treasurer's Report 09 Nichola Di Muzio Secretary's Report 10 Naomi Omundson AWL Report 11 Ann-Maree David Media Report 13 Katrina Mawer Advocacy Report 14 Jessica McClymont Diversity Report 15 Nicole Morgan Contents Student Report 17 Emma Lewis Social Secretary Report 18 Jessica Popple Rural & Regional Report Catherine Cheek & 19 Stephanie Williams 20 2019 Awards Dinner PRESIDENT'S REPORT JAMIE SHINE, WLAQ PRESIDENT & NATIONAL SPECIAL COUNSEL, SHINE LAWYERS

As President for the past two years I WLAQ has enjoyed its ongoing have had the amazing experience of relationships with other associations leading the women in our profession and had the pleasure of partnering with and building on WLAQ’s objectives for the Queensland Law Society and with the benefit of our members. the Association of Queensland to deliver meaningful events for the The relevance of WLAQ and the impact benefit of our members, and I thank or of our work was evidenced at our their ongoing collaboration and 41st WLAQ Awards evening where we support. hosted close to 300 people (our largest Awards yet) and celebrated the The success of the 2019 year was outstanding achievements of women in achieved thanks to momentum built by law by recognising both our incredible past WLAQ Committee members. award finalists and winners. Without their commitment, energy and passion for supporting women in law For what is likely to be a WLAQ first, the we would not have been able to achieve FY2020 Committee included six regional these initiatives. members and me as WLAQ’s first regional President. As such, it was Thank you all for your contributions. important to the Committee that we aimed to increase our involvement and support of women in law throughout all areas of Queensland.

We incorporated this objective as part of our Strategic Plan, and made a goal of delivering at least one WLAQ function in every single region during the year.

4 WLAQ COMMITTEE

FY 2019 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President | Jamie Shine, National Special Counsel, Shine Lawyers Vice-President | Ann-Maree David, CEO, College of Law Queensland Vice-President | Jessica McClymont, Barrister Treasurer | Nichola Di Muzio, Special Counsel, Thynne + Macartney Secretary | Naomi Omundson, Senior Associate, McCullough Robertson Immediate Past President | Cassandra Heilbronn, Senior Associate, MinterEllison

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Catherine Cheek, Special Counsel, Clewett Lawyers Emily Dux, In-House Counsel, Olam Australia Emma Lewis, Law Student Joey McKenzie, Group Legal Counsel, ALS Global Katrina Mawer, Lawyer, Barry.Nilsson Lawyers Lauren Austin, Associate, Wilson Lawyers Nicole Morgan, Senior Associate, MinterEllison Rebecca Smith, Lawyer, King & Wood Mallesons Stephanie Williams, Barrister, Endeavour Chambers

5 WLAQ COMMITTEE FY 2020 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President | Jamie Shine, National Special Counsel, Shine Lawyers Vice-President | Ann-Maree David, CEO, College of Law Queensland Vice-President | Jessica McClymont, Barrister Treasurer | Nichola Di Muzio, Special Counsel, Thynne + Macartney Secretary | Naomi Omundson, Senior Associate McCullough Robertson Immediate Past President | Cassandra Heilbronn, Regulation Legal Manager, Royal Commission for AlUla

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Catherine Cheek, Special Counsel, Clewett Lawyers Emma Lewis, Law Student Jessica Goldie, Barrister, Queens Arms Chambers Jessica Popple, Lawyer, Pippa Colman & Associates Katrina Mawer, Lawyer, Crown Law Queensland Lauren Austin, Associate, Wilson Lawyers Nicole Morgan, Senior Associate, MinterEllison Sandra Lim, Special Counsel, Shine Lawyers Sarah Ford, Senior Associate, Gilshenan & Luton Legal Practice Stephanie Williams, Barrister, Endeavour Chambers

6 ADVISORS & AMBASSADORS WLAQ ADVISORS

Boutique: Amy Honan Criminal: Wendy Mulcahy Government: Christine Wilson In-House: Melissa Scott

WLAQ AMBASSADORS

Atherton Tablelands: Tiffany Veschetti Cairns: Laura Neil Gold Coast: Helen Ashton Ipswich: Annette Power Martell Mackay: Kim Back Rockhampton: Stephanie Nicholas Sunshine Coast: Samantha Bolton Toowoomba & Darling Downs: Katrina Pedersen Townsville: Jessica Shuttleworth Wide Bay: Edwina Rowan

7 AWARDS & APPOINTMENTS WLAQ AWARD WINNERS

Woman in Excellence: The Hon Margaret Wilson QC Leneen Forde AC Woman Lawyer of the Year: Bridget Cullen Trailblazer of the Year: Zinta Harris Regional Woman Lawyer of the Year: Tanya Straguszi Emergent Woman Lawyer of the Year: Amie Mish-Wills Legal Aid Queensland Equitable Briefing Award: Jeffrey Cuddihy & Joyce Solicitors JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS Deputy Chief Magistrate: Janelle Brassington Magistrate: Rosemary Gilbert Magistrate: Bronwyn Hartigan Magistrate: Trinity McGarvie Court of Appeal: Justice Debra Mullins AO

UNA PRENTICE AWARDS

University of Queensland: Mia Williams Queensland University of Technology: Felicity Wood : Liliana Meunier : Elisha Hines : Alexandria Neumann University of Southern Queensland: Maryanne Mitchell Central Queensland University: Bee Ang University of the Sunshine Coast: Grace Cooper

8 TREASURER'S REPORT NICHOLA DI MUZIO, WLAQ TREASURER & SPECIAL COUNSEL, THYNNE + MACARTNEY

In addition to the WLAQ General Account, WLAQ is trustee of the Una Prentice Memorial Trust Award, and has the Beryl Donkin Memorial Award Trust. An extract of WLAQ's financial position for 2019 is included below and we confirm that WLAQ has complied with all legislative and accounting reporting requirements.

Thank you to Grant Thornton who prepare our yearly financials and provide WLAQ with valuable support and assistance.

9 SECRETARY'S REPORT NAOMI OMUNDSON, WLAQ SECRETARY & SENIOR ASSOCIATE, MCCULLOUGH ROBERTSON LAWYERS

In terms of the regulatory requirements that WLAQ is obliged to comply with, I can confirm that we have complied with the requirements under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981, including the requirement to lodge annual returns and to have our financial records audited and verified.

We conducted ten committee meetings, each of which we had enough committee members attend to reach quorum. An agenda was compiled through contributions from committee members each month and circulated prior to each meeting. Minutes of those meetings were recorded and circulated at the following committee meeting for approval.

A copy of the Minutes from the 2018 AGM were provided at the AGM. The AGM was held in June with held our biannual Gender Diversity Forum at our corporate member McCullough Robertson’s office.

In 2019, we updated our membership categories to include that of Government lawyers. This is to assist WLAQ in identifying issues specific to members. Some of our members may still hold "general" membership and we will work with them to transition to the new category over the coming year.

Thank you to our 2019 Corporate Members for their ongoing support - McCullough Robertson, Shine Lawyers, King & Wood Mallesons, Colin Biggers & Paisley and Maurice Blackburn.

10 AWL REPORT ANN-MAREE DAVID, WLAQ VICE-PRESIDENT, AWL REPRESENTATIVE & CEO OF THE COLLEGE OF LAW QLD

Australian Women Lawyers Limited (AWL) was established on 9 September, 1997. AWL is governed by a board of directors comprising representatives from each State and Territory women lawyers’ associations.

I am proud to represent the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland on that Board and currently serve as Immediate Past President.

The AWL Annual General Meeting was conducted in Melbourne in November 2019. The elected Board Executive comprises:

President: Adrienne Morton (Tasmanian Women Lawyers); Vice President: Leah Marrone (Women Lawyers’ Association of South Australia); Secretary: Roslyn Chenoweth (Northern Territory Women Lawyers Association); Treasurer: Astrid Haban-Beer (Women Barristers Association of Victoria); Immediate Past President: Ann-Maree David (Women Lawyers Association of Queensland); Board Members: Anne Wood (Women Lawyers Western Australia); Michelle Berry (Victorian Women Lawyers); Kirsty Easdale (Women Lawyers Association of the ACT); Holly Lam (Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales)

In March 2019 the Board set to building the 5 year strategic plan. A newly established vision statement reads:

“Australian Women Lawyers Ltd. Is a justice and equity champion advancing women within the legal profession and beyond”.

11 AWL REPORT ANN-MAREE DAVID, WLAQ VICE-PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE COLLEGE OF LAW QLD

AWL’s objects were revised to read: 1. Achieve justice and equality for all women; 2. Drive further understanding and support for the legal rights of all women; 3. Identify, highlight and eradicate discrimination against women inherent in the legal system and in the community generally; 4. Advance equality for women in the legal profession; 5. Create and enhance awareness of the contribution of women to the practise and development of law; and 6. Provide a professional and social network for women lawyers.

The following 5-year goals were set: 1. Educate and inform the profession and the public about matters affecting women in the profession and legal system; 2. Provide leadership on issues affecting women in the profession and the legal system by driving and advocating for change; and 3. Effectively manage AWL to ensure its continued operation and continued accountability to its members.

Throughout the reporting period AWL made submissions with respect to the AHRC Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces and the Religious Discrimination Bill.

Another significant piece of work by the Board has been the commencement of planning for the 2020 AWL Conference scheduled to be conducted online on 28 and 29 August 2020.

12 MEDIA REPORT KATRINA MAWER, WLAQ MEDIA ADVISOR & SOLICITOR, CROWN LAW QUEENSLAND

WLAQ Media worked to publish community-oriented and inspiring content with a view to promoting inclusivity, and togetherness within our profession. We reached 3,685 followers on Facebook, 2,651 on LinkedIn and 925 on Twitter. Since 2017, we have seen an increase of 157% to 330% in followers across social media platforms, and we thank our members for their continued support.

We were pleased to promote inspiring Queensland women via these platforms, with some notable mentions including: (a) Carol Taylor of Taylor Law & Conveyancing whose inspiring story about overcoming adversity featured in Women’s Day; (b) The Honourable Justice Debra Mullins AO who was appointed to the Court of Appeal; (c) Nitra Kidson, Erin Longbottom and Amelia Wheatley who were appointed as Queen’s Counsel; and (d) Kathryn McMillan QC and Zinta Harrison who were awarded Barrister of the Year and Sole Practitioner of the Year respectively at the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards.

We continued our WLAQ Inspo List, aimed at celebrating women who hold a law degree, are either from or based in Queensland, and have inspired the WLAQ Committee. The List was released to coincide with IWD to express our thanks to firms, Chamber groups and other organisations for contributing to the 2019 theme #BalanceforBetter.

WLAQ are pleased to have continued to utilise our platform to connect members and supporters of the WLAQ. We have been extremely proud of the wonderful relationships developed with other Queensland based organisations, including Pride in Law. We are grateful for your continued engagement, and we hope to continue to inspire and support members via these platforms in the year to come.

@WLAQINC /COMPANY/WLAQINC

13 ADVOCACY REPORT JESSICA MCCLYMONT, WLAQ VICE-PRESIDENT & BARRISTER, HEMMANT'S LIST

WLAQ continued its efforts to support and to advocate for women. WLAQ persisted in its important support of equitable briefing of women barristers by maintaining and regularly updating a list of female barristers. Feedback was often received that this was a valued resource.

There was continued demand for the pregnancy bar jacket, often at short notice, and it was given a permanent home in the Inns of Court so as to be accessible to women advocates.

WLAQ received a number of notifications of legislative changes and enquiries, including amendments to the Criminal Code in relation to the laws of consent and mistake of fact. Many invitations to provide a submission related to legislation that did not concern the core objectives of WLAQ, in which case, the call for submissions was circulated among WLAQ members for their information and interest.

WLAQ will continue to be involved in responding to proposed legislative changes and matters concerning our members.

In late 2019, WLAQ launched the Criminal Lawyers Sub-Committee in response to a need to specifically address the concerns of female lawyers who practice in the criminal law field. The Criminal Lawyers Sub-Committee Report will be released in 2020.

Claire Boothman from Legal Aid Queensland 14 DIVERSITY REPORT NICOLE MORGAN, CHAIR OF DIVERSITY & SENIOR ASSOCIATE, MINTERELLISON

The 2019 year has been a rewarding year for the WLAQ's Diversity Committee in hosting and implementing a number of strategic initiatives to support diversity of women in all levels and areas in the legal profession. Some of these notable initiatives include:

Hosting the How to Manage the Juggle – Lessons Learnt From 50 Episodes of The Juggle Podcast, with guest speakers Joanne Alilovic and Clarrisa Rayward, who shared their insights as women managing (mastering) the juggle with family, career and wellbeing; In response to an increase in the number of requests for assistance and information about paid parental leave arrangements in workplaces, the WLAQ consulted with Queensland's legal professional to clarify what information was needed and in early 2019, WLAQ released the WLAQ Parental Leave Survey. Following the completion of the survey, WLAQ published its Parental Leave Survey Report, which shows the position of paid parental leave in Queensland's legal profession, and summarises the results of the survey and key actions required within the profession with respect to parental leave arrangements; Hosting the WLAQ's 2019 Gender Diversity Forum, with our AGM, on 20 June 2019. This event encompassed 4 sessions where we heard from leading women on a variety of topics including: Taking your learning to the next level, a panel session in relation to the study and learning options available for women in the profession; Experiences of females in criminal law, a panel session which discussed interactions with others in the profession, vicarious trauma, juggling family and career and harassment in the profession; Making the move to boards and General Counsel, a session which provided practical advice to transition into these roles and how to be a successful Board member; and Insights shared by the Honourable Justice Anthe Philippides, into the international symbol of justice, the Greek Goddess, Themis.

15 DIVERSITY REPORT NICOLE MORGAN, CHAIR OF DIVERSITY & SENIOR ASSOCIATE, MINTERELLISON

WLAQ delievered on its promise to publish a suite of in-practice queries, being a central resource of questions that members may have across the course of their careers, ranging from Clerkships and Graduate positions, to Judges Associate, to Associate & Senior Associate to Partners & Directors to Community Legal Centres to Government Lawyers to In- House and General Counsel to Board and Company Secretary roles. Thank you to Melanie Hindman QC for her idea with this project.

These initiatives are in addition to our hosting of more regional events for our members, the publishing of our online diversity materials (including on Flexible Work Practices) and supporting women who are working part-time following a return to work or are on maternity leave including by providing access to half price tickets to WLAQ events.

Exciting projects WLAQ has scheduled for 2020 include the release of a template Parental Leave Policy and the appointment of First Nations Advisor.

The WLAQ Diversity Committee looks forward to continuing its work to promote, retain and support all women in all levels of Queensland's legal profession.

16 STUDENT REPORT EMMA LEWIS, WLAQ STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE & LAW GRADUATE, SHAND TAYLOR LAWYERS

In 2019, WLAQ continued to foster its relationship with law schools throughout Queensland and provide events aimed at bringing female law students and legal practitioners together.

At the QLS Careers Expo, WLAQ hosted a booth to increase its profile amongst law students. It was great to have Committee Members volunteering their time to share their professional and personal experiences with attendees. In an increasingly competitive clerkship and graduate market, attendees were very interested in discussing how the WLAQ can assist them in broadening their network and providing them with targeted resources. WLAQ also offered the opportunity to win free WLAQ membership for a year for all attendees who signed up for the WLAQ mailing list.

The Una Prentice Awards and Mentoring Program Launch was a fabulous evening which celebrated the highest achieving female law students in the state. In memory of the pioneering Una Prentice, the first female to graduate from the Faculty of Law at the , this award recognised the female law student from each university in Queensland with the highest GPA in her graduating cohort. The event also provided an opportunity for participants of the WLAQ mentorship program to connect for the first time.

Finally, the WLAQ proudly sponsored the inaugural QUT Women in Law Leadership Panel. This event allowed QUT students to connect with and ask questions of trailblazing female legal practitioners who have forged their own path in their career. The panellists provided frank and honest advice to attendees about taking risks, work/life balance and the importance of mentoring.

After a very successful year, WLAQ is looking forward to going onwards and upwards into 2020 in the student portfolio!

17 SOCIAL SECRETARY REPORT JESSICA POPPLE, WLAQ SOCIAL SECRETARY & LAWYER, PIPPA COLMAN & ASSOCIATES

WLAQ held 42 events in total in 2019, from as far north as Cairns down to the Gold Coast.

International Women’s Day was another busy few days for WLAQ, where co-hosted and attended many events including a Breakfast in the Atherton Plains and with the Far North Queensland Law Association and the Bar Association of Queensland, Queensland Law Society and WLAQ International Women’s Day Panel. These events saw an incredible line up of guest speakers, including Magistrate Brassington and the Honourable Catherine Holmes, Chief Justice of Queensland.

Our Criminal Lawyers also held a networking event in May and a Christmas Breakup in November. One of our most highly attended events was the “Shortlisted: Women, Diversity, the US Supreme Court & Beyond by Professor Renee Knake”. This event was co-hosted by WLAQ, the Centre for Legal Innovation and the Bar Association of Queensland. Professor Knake shared a collective narrative of individual journeys that inspired all who attended.

In October, WLAQ held its 41st Annual Gala Awards Dinner. The event was again an amazing celebration of the women in Law and the work that the Association has accomplished. Thank you again to Sponsors Hemmant's List, Shine Lawyers, Legal Aid Queensland, QLS, Griffith Law School, TC Beirne School of Law (UQ), College of Law Queensland and Level Twenty Seven Chambers.

The Committee also attended a number of our law friend’s events, including the QLS Awards dinner where we celebrated many of our colleagues and their achievements, including Edwina Rowan, our Wide Bay Ambassador, who took out the 2019 Agnes McWhinney Award.

The Committee is so thankful for the support of our events in 2019, including the support we have received from our guest speakers, co-hosts, venues and sponsors, and most importantly our members.

18 REGIONAL REPORT CATHERINE CHEEK, WLAQ SOUTHERN REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE, SPECIAL COUNSEL, KENNEDY SPANNER LAWYERS STEPHANIE WILLIAMS, WLAQ NORTHERN REGIONAL REPSENTATIVE, BARRISTER

In 2019 WLAQ built and expanded the impact of its regional membership. As always, each region took advantage of its own strengths and resources.

The consistently active Ipswich Region, with lunches on the last Friday of each month, gave female practitioners the opportunity to relax and exchange ideas under the trees on the veranda at “Dovetails”.

The Inter-Professional networking event held in Toowoomba as a joint function with the Downs & South West Queensland Law Association in May 2019 was again a sell-out event with about 80 participants at “Fibbers”. The Ladies in Law Luncheon sponsored by WLAQ also sold out. About 100 practitioners from the Downs area and members of the judiciary both locally and from Brisbane attended the half day luncheon event at “Chared” with a theme of personal finance management.

In May 2019, Townsville, Cairns and Mackay WLAQ regions hosted well attended drinks for the DLA conference event. Adhoc coffee mornings, Friday drinks and regular lunch club were organised throughout the year. Cairns WLAQ held a breakfast for International Women’s Day and a cinema night in February 2019 for the viewing of “On the Basis of Sex”. Bundaberg WLAQ corroborated heavily with the Bundaberg Family Law Pathways Network in 2019.

There was an after-Hours Nibbles and Networking event in Hervey Bay on 25 July 2019 which coincided with the Federal Circuit Court sittings for the Bundaberg/Hervey Bay Circuit and attracted 45 solicitors from Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. The circuiting judge was Judge Margaret Cassidy, who is a wonderfully inspirational lady. The event included presentations by four organisations/statutory bodies about service delivery and referral pathways. Presentations were provided from:

Next Steps After Care Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service Red Cross Galangoor Duwalami Primary Health Care

WLAQ on the Sunshine Coast held a networking night and an Interprofessional Networking night with other local professionals. 19 2019 AWARDS DINNER

ANDRE COIS PHOTOGRAPHY 20 2019 AWARDS DINNER

21 2019 AWARDS DINNER

22 2019 AWARDS DINNER

23 Women Lawyers Association of Queensland Inc

WWW.WLAQ.COM.AU [email protected]